AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RFE Investment Partners (“RFE”), a Connecticut-based private equity firm, today announced the formation of LaunchPad Home Group (“LaunchPad”), a family of home inspection and residential services brands sharing relationships, support systems, and best practices.
LaunchPad’s mission is to create lifelong customer relationships by simplifying home ownership at every stage of the journey. Built on a “people first” foundation, LaunchPad is committed to being the “employer of choice” in the home inspection and pest control industries with full alignment and buy-in at all levels of the company.
LaunchPad serves as the parent company under which RFE’s original 2022 investments in Florida-based Max Home Inspections, All Year Pest Control, and Logix Home Services will reside alongside future brand partners.
In conjunction with the announcement, LaunchPad has welcomed Residential Inspector of America (“RIA”), PestNation, All-Pro Home Inspections (“API"), Step By Step Inspections (“SBS”), HomePro Inspections (“HPI”), and The Inspectagator as new partners in the family of companies.
“We are excited to introduce our new organization and mission statement to the market, which reflects our plans to partner with and invest in leading home services brands,” said LaunchPad CEO Scott Swayze. “Our Austin-based ‘home team’ will provide support, tools, resources, training, new services, and capital to help our partner brands thrive in their regional markets. We are very pleased to welcome RIA, PestNation, API, SBS, HPI, and The Inspectagator to our family of companies.”
Residential Inspector of America (RIA) and PestNation
RIA is the largest and most prominent home inspection provider in the Atlanta area, while PestNation provides a full breadth of pest control and extermination services. Founded in 1989, RIA has developed a culture built on a growth mindset focused on technical excellence and exceptional client service. Over the past several years, RIA has partnered with three inspection companies in Nashville (API), Charleston (SBS), and Jacksonville (HPI) to expand its services in these markets and broaden its geographic reach.
“We quickly identified that the LaunchPad team ‘walks the talk,’ puts in the work, fits our culture, is trustworthy, and is committed to seeing the team win big,” said Rob and Cat Lemoine, owners and leaders of RIA and PestNation. “Our new LaunchPad family is helping us build the infrastructure and talented team that we will need to scale past what anybody thought to be possible in the home inspection industry -- all while providing massive opportunities and a bigger future for our team members.”
As part of LaunchPad Home Group, RIA is positioned to extend and accelerate its geographic growth providing exceptional home inspection services to new markets. Rob and Catherine Lemoine will continue to lead the RIA and PestNation brands while serving on the LaunchPad Board of Directors as significant shareholders of the parent company alongside RFE.
“We are especially excited to welcome Rob and Cat to our leadership ranks. Both bring an impressive amount of industry knowledge and highly personalized customer relationships that will complement LaunchPad’s strong growth trajectory throughout the Southeast,” Swayze added.
The Inspectagator
The Inspectagator is a provider of home and commercial inspections serving the greater Orlando region for over 25 years. Jon and Bobbi Lynn Bolton, founders and owners of The Inspectagator, have joined the LaunchPad leadership team as Directors of Inspector Training and Human Resources.
“When we recognized the opportunity in LaunchPad and the fortuitous prospect of venturing side by side with giants in the industry where we absolutely could accomplish far more than we were able with our own limited funds and schedule, it was just a ‘mic drop’ moment for us,” the Boltons said.
About LaunchPad Home Group
LaunchPad Home Group is a family of regional home inspection and services brands sharing relationships, support systems, best practices, and capital base for the mutual growth of our brands. LaunchPad’s mission is to create lifelong relationships by simplifying home ownership at every stage of the journey, from inspections to remodeling to day-to-day safekeeping and maintenance. For more information, visit www.launchpadhomegroup.com.
About RFE Investment Partners
RFE Investment Partners is a private equity firm focused on making control investments in established small market companies located in the U.S. RFE is a long-standing firm founded in 1980 with over 40 years of experience investing in the lower middle market. The firm’s investment strategy is to transform its portfolio companies from the lower end of the market to fully professionalized and market-leading middle-market companies. RFE is currently investing out of Fund IX. For more information, visit www.rfeip.com.
Contact: John Mooney, Over The Moon PR, (908) 720-6057, john@overthemoonpr.com
